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| United States Patent |
6,093,401
|
|
Shanbrom
|
July 25, 2000
|
Natural color concentrates and antimicrobial nutraceutial from plants
Abstract
An active coloring concentrate can be prepared from the juice of
cranberries and blueberries by treating juice or homogenate with an
appropriate binding matrix. Assorted ion exchange resins such as
cholestyramine are effective binding matrices, but the currently preferred
material is a food grade of cross-linked polyvinyl pyrollidone. The
binding matrices are used to concentrate active materials from cranberry
and a colored solid is produced. This substance shows anti-bacterial and
anti-viral properties. It can be readily consumed as a therapeutic or
nutraceutical, used as a coloring agent, or it can be used topically.
Significant amounts of active concentrate can be produced from cranberry
presscake which is normally a waste material.
| Inventors:
|
Shanbrom; Edward (Santa Ana, CA)
|
| Assignee:
|
Shanbrom Technologies LLC (Ojai, CA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
931315 |
| Filed:
|
September 16, 1997 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
424/732; 426/271; 426/443; 426/531 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A01N 065/00; A23C 009/14; A23B 004/03; A23L 003/34 |
| Field of Search: |
424/195.1
514/449,451,783
426/271,272,531,537,549,550,599,615,419,443,489
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4405323 | Sep., 1983 | Auerbach | 604/285.
|
| 5474774 | Dec., 1995 | Walker et al. | 424/195.
|
| 5683678 | Nov., 1997 | Heckert et al. | 424/52.
|
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 5017372 | Jan., 1993 | JP.
| |
| 8205023 | Apr., 1983 | ZA.
| |
Other References
Van Teeling et al. "Chromatography of anthocyanins on columns f insoluble
poly(vinylpyrrolidinone)," J. Chromatographic Sci. (1971) 9(8): 505-9
(abstract only), 1971.
Nawa et al. "Production of Anthocyanins, Carotenoids, and
Proanthocyanindins by cultured cells of Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium
ashei Reade", Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. (1993) 57(5): 770-4, 1993.
|
Primary Examiner: Witz; Jean C.
Assistant Examiner: Hanley; Susan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Graham & James LLP
Claims
I claim:
1. A coloring composition produced by the steps comprising:
a) contacting a nontoxic binding matrix selected from the group consisting
of cholestyramine, starch, cross-linked starch, carboxymethyl cellulose
and PVP with an aqueous juice or aqueous juice homogenate of a plant
selected from the group consisting of blueberry and cranberry to obtain a
mixture; and
b) separating the remaining liquid juice from said mixture to obtain a
coloring composition comprising said juice-contacted or juice
homogenate-contacted binding matrix.
2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the separating step b) is carried
out by decanting.
3. An antimicrobial composition produced by the steps comprising:
a) contacting a nontoxic binding matrix selected from the group consisting
of cholestyramine, starch, cross-linked starch, carboxymethyl cellulose
and PVP with an aqueous juice or aqueous juice homogenate of a plant
selected from the group consisting of blueberry and cranberry to obtain a
mixture; and
b) separating the remaining liquid juice from said mixture to obtain an
antimicrobial composition comprising said juice-contacted or said juice
homogenate-contacted binding matrix.
4. The composition of claim 3, wherein said aqueous juice is prepared by
homogenizing a quantity of a presscake of said plant material in water,
centrifuging the resulting mixture to produce a supernatant; and decanting
said supernatant to make said aqueous juice.
5. An antimicrobial tampon produced by contacting a tampon with an
antimicrobially effective amount of a composition comprising a
juice-contacted binding matrix produced the steps comprising:
a) contacting a nontoxic binding matrix selected from the group consisting
of cholestyramine, starch, cross-linked starch, carboxymethyl cellulose
and PVP with an aqueous juice or aqueous juice homogenate of a plant
selected from the group consisting of blueberry and cranberry to obtain a
mixture; and
b) separating the remaining liquid juice from said mixture to obtain an
antimicrobial composition comprising said juice-contacted or juice
homogenate-contacted binding matrix.
6. The antimicrobial tampon of claim 5, wherein the matrix is PVP.
7. The antimicrobial tampon of claim 5, wherein the matrix is
cholestyramine.
8. A method for producing an antimicrobial composition comprising the
steps:
a) contacting a nontoxic binding matrix selected from the group consisting
of cholestyramine, starch, cross-linked starch, carboxymethyl cellulose
and PVP with an aqueous juice or aqueous juice homogenate of a plant
selected from the group consisting of blueberry and cranberry to obtain a
mixture; and
b) separating the remaining liquid juice from said mixture to obtain an
antimicrobial composition comprising said juice-contacted or said juice
homogenate-contacted binding matrix.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the composition obtained in step b) is
dried.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the matrix is PVP.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the matrix is cholestyramine.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein said aqueous juice is prepared by
homogenizing a quantity of a presscake of said plant material in water,
centrifuging the resulting mixture to produce a supernatant; and decanting
said supernatant to make said aqueous juice.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The current invention concerns the field of natural products and foods and
more specifically colors and an antimicrobial composition prepared from
cranberry juice.
2. Description of Related Art
Health foods are estimated to currently represent an annual market in the
United States of at least ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000.00). By
health foods is meant vitamins, minerals and herbal products that are
widely believed to be efficacious in improving human health without the
cost and side-effects of ordinary pharmaceuticals. In recognition of the
popularity and importance of these products the term "nutraceutical" has
been coined and the product category has received special government
regulatory treatment.
There can be no denying that vitamins and minerals are essential for normal
human health. Whether "excessive" doses of some vitamins, for example
Vitamin C, provide special benefits is more controversial. More
controversial still are the many herbal products of recent popularity such
as saw palmetto and Ginkgo biloba. Many people swear by these and related
products while large pharmaceutical companies claim that these remedies
are untested and worthless. Nevertheless, virtually all important
pharmaceutical drugs are based on natural plant products. Not too long ago
the study of botany was a mandatory part of medical education. It is also
clear that at least some of the herbal cures are effective. For example,
feverfew, long a folk cure for headaches, is currently used in Europe as a
legitimate cure for migraines.
An even more widely known "natural cure" is the use of fruit juices,
especially cranberry juice, for treatment and prevention of urinary tract
infections. While the "cranberry juice cure" is widely prescribed, the
precise basis of its effectiveness is not completely known. An early
hypothesis was that the natural fruit acids, such as benzoic acid,
acidified the urine and thereby inhibited bacterial proliferation. While
acidification may be part of the puzzle, it does not seem sufficient to
explain the advantage cranberry juice seems to hold over other acidic
fruit juices. More recently there have been a number of reports that
fruits of cranberry and related species of the genus Vaccinium contain a
potent factor that inhibits bacterial adhesion. Since bacterial must be
able to adhere to urinary endothelia to cause an infection, the
anti-adhesion factor may explain the cranberry effect.
In fact, at least one research group has put extensive efforts into
purification of the anti-adhesion factor from cranberry and related
fruits. The reader's attention is drawn to a series of U.S. patents to
Walker et al. (E. B. Walker, R. A. Mikelsen, J. N. Mikelsen and B. L.
Roth) (including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,474,774, 5,525,341, and 5,646,178).
These patents disclose complex extraction and fractionation processes by
which cranberry fruits are extracted and yield a fraction enriched in the
before-mentioned anti-adhesion factor. These patents provides tentative
identification of the anti-adhesive factor.
However, the Walker et al. process is complex and cumbersome. Further, it
is not clear that all the benefits of cranberry and related fruits is due
to the anti-adhesion factor. Therefore, there is still a need for a simple
method to concentrate effective materials from cranberry and other plant
materials (e.g., flowers, fruits, leaves, stems and roots) for
nutraceutical and other uses. Besides their curative properties fruits and
other plant materials are frequently strongly pigmented. Since much of our
food is of plant origin people have become used to having foods with
bright and appealing colors. Highly processed "artificial" foods are
generally colorless or have drab and unappealing colors.
Therefore, many millions of dollars each year are spent on putting
"artificial colors" and "artificial flavors" into processed food products.
While such additives may make the processed food products more attractive,
they actually make the products even less suitable for human consumption.
The worst of the carcinogenic coal tar dyes have been removed from the
market, but a lingering doubt surrounds many of the remaining "certified
food colors." Thus, there is a significant need for methods to capture
natural colors and flavors from fruits and vegetables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An active concentrate can be prepared from the juice of cranberry and other
fruits or vegetables by treating the juice with an appropriate binding
matrix. Assorted ion exchange resins such as cholestyramine are effective
binding matrices, but the currently preferred material is a food grade of
polyvinyl pyrollidone cross-linked, especially in a cross-linked form.
When appropriate binding matrices are used to concentrate active materials
from cranberry, a colored solid is produced. This substance shows
significant anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It can be readily
consumed as a nutraceutical, it can be used topically, or it can be used
as a safe food coloring. An additional advantage of the present method is
that significant amounts of active concentrate can be produced from
cranberry presscake which is normally a waste material. This same method
is adapted to concentrating colors and flavors from a variety of fruits
and vegetables.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the
art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes
contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various
modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in
the art, since the general principles of the present invention have been
defined herein specifically to provide a method for concentrating colors
and flavors from fruits and vegetables (including flowers, leaves, stems,
roots and "teas") and an anti-microbial extract from cranberry and other
fruit juices.
The present inventor has a long record of inventions in the medical field
particularly in processes to disinfect blood and blood products. It was
only natural that he would turn his inventive energies to the food
industry where similar problems of dangerous pathogens exist. One has only
to read recent headlines concerning deaths and illnesses caused by
bacterially contaminated fruit juice to see the logical application of
improved disinfection to foods. Part of the methods used by the present
inventor involve adding effective amounts of disinfectant such as iodine
and then removing them after an adequate disinfection period so that the
final product while disinfected contains no disinfectant. Various organic
polymers such as ion exchange resins and insoluble polyvinyl pyrollidone
(PVP) have proved to be effective iodine removal agents.
In the course of perfecting disinfecting purification methods for fruit
juices the present inventor noticed that the iodine removal agents often
removed some of the fruit juice color along with the iodine. This resulted
in the question of whether these removal methods might be useful for
concentrating fruit color or flavor or some other juice component. A
considerable number of different juices and binding agents were,
therefore, experimented with. These concentrated materials are useful as
color or flavor additives for food products. In addition, it has been
discovered that some of the concentrates have unexpected properties.
EXPERIMENT 1
Table 1 shows whether cranberry juice color is appreciably bound by a
number of different binding materials. For this experiment 1 g samples of
each of the listed materials were mixed into 25 ml aliquots of ordinary
cranberry juice. The materials were mixed for 30 min after which the juice
was decanted and the material washed with water and inspected for binding
of color. Of course, it is possible that some of the matrices bound
uncolored cranberry components.
TABLE 1
______________________________________
Binding Matrix Result
______________________________________
Sephadex G-25 no binding
Polydex Resin no binding
Cholestyramine good binding
Purolite A-600 Resin no binding
Purolite A-606 Resin no binding
Purolite C-100 Resin no binding
Purolite P-100 no binding
Dextran (100,000 MW) no binding
Dextran (75,000 MW) no binding
______________________________________
Insoluble (cross-linked) PVP is a well-known iodine binding agent; in
addition, it is known to bind polyphenols and is used for this purpose in
the food industry. Many plant derived pigments are polyphenols and might
be expected to bind to insoluble PVP, but as far as the present inventor
knows no one has taken advantage of this property to purify colors and
flavors from plant materials. Table 2 shows the degree of binding (color)
of a number of different juices to insoluble, crosslinked PVP and
cholestyramine. All of the juices bound well to both of the binding
matrices. Although observation of the juice following the experiment
suggested that the PVP bound more color (i.e., the juice was significantly
lighter than the corresponding cholestyramine-treated juice), the
cholestyramine appeared significantly darker than the corresponding PVP as
if it held more pigment. Twenty five milliliters of juice was reacted with
1 g of binding substance following the same procedure as used for the
experiment of Table 1, above. In addition to the materials tested in Table
1, the inventor has also found that starch, cross-linked starch and
carboxymethyl cellulose are effective at binding pigment factors from
vegetable material.
TABLE 2
______________________________________
Juice XL-PVP Cholestyramine
______________________________________
Red Raspberry +++ +++
Blackberry ++ ++
Blueberry ++ ++
Strawberry ++ ++
Cherry ++ ++
Cranberry ++ ++
______________________________________
EXPERIMENT 2
These "captured" fruit juice components were then tested to see if any of
them exhibited significant antibacterial activity. For this experiment 100
ml suspensions of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis were
made in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). One half gram samples of each of
the bound fruit juice samples were weighed into sterile 15 ml tubes to
which was added 10 ml of one of the bacteria suspensions. The tubes were
mixed for 30 min at room temperature. An aliquot of each treated
suspension was streaked onto a nutrient agar plate and incubated for 24
hours at room temperature. Table 3 shows the resulting bacterial growth.
In this experiment most of the juice components showed either no or slight
activity. Blueberry and cranberry, however, showed dramatic inhibition of
both species of bacteria. This was somewhat unexpected because while the
prior art teaches that these juices inhibit bacterial adhesion, it does
not indicate that these material dramatically inhibit bacterial growth. It
cannot be determined from this experiment whether the bacteria were simply
killed by the incubation with the juice component or whether the juice
component simply resulted in long term bacterial inhibition. A "rescue"
experiment in which attempts are made to wash off the juice extract is
needed to answer this question.
TABLE 3
______________________________________
S.
E. coli epidermidis
Juice PVP Chol. PVP Chol.
______________________________________
Control ++++ ++++ +++ +++
Red Raspberry
+++ +++ +++ +++
Blackberry +++ +++ ++ ++
Blueberry 0 0 0 0
Strawberry ++++ ++++ +++ +++
Cherry ++++ ++++ +++ +++
Cranberry 0 0 0 0
______________________________________
The results that showed strong antibacterial products for cranberry and
blueberry juices were somewhat unexpected. It should be noted that
blackberry shows a weaker antibacterial response against S. epidermidis.
It is possible that blackberry and the other juices actually share the
properties of cranberry albeit at a significantly lower concentration.
EXPERIMENT 3
The striking antibacterial results prompted the inventor to see whether the
juice factors also had any antiviral properties. Only the cranberry and
blueberry extracts were tested since they showed the most dramatic
antibacterial effect. They were tested against equine myocarditis virus
(EMC) which is an example of a moderately difficult to inactivate
enveloped virus. Viral suspensions were prepared in both PBS and tissue
culture medium to control for media effects. The test samples were
prepared by suspending 0.5 g samples of the bound juice factors in 15 ml
of virus suspension in PBS. The samples were incubated for 1 hour at room
temperature (RT) and then serially diluted (titered) in a Virus End Point
(VEP) assay cell line virus assay. That is, the diluted samples were added
to animal cells in tissue culture plates. The cells were grown for 24
hours at 37.degree. C. in 96 well culture plates in 5% CO.sub.2 and were
then read to determine presence of virus. The results shown in Table 4
indicate that both juices have moderate antiviral properties and are able
to reduce the viral titer by at least one log. The other juice factors may
also have antiviral properties although the appear to lack antibacterial
properties as strong as cranberry and blueberry. It seems likely that a
more efficient (e.g., chromatographic) method might capture a larger
amount of the antiviral factor.
TABLE 4
__________________________________________________________________________
Dilution .fwdarw.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11
12
Titer
__________________________________________________________________________
PBS Control
4 4 4 4 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.9
Medium Control
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 5.2
Cranberry Choles.
4 4 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.3
Cranberry PVP
4 4 4 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.7
Blueberry Choles.
4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.1
Blueberry PVP
4 4 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.5
__________________________________________________________________________
The contact effectiveness of the fruit juice factors were explored by
placing the bound fruit juice material into small (60 cc) columns and
flowing various microbe containing solutions through. Two gram aliquots of
cranberry PVP or cholestyramine or blueberry PVP or cholestyramine
prepared as above were placed into each column. Suspensions were prepared
in PBS of E. coli, S. epidermidis and EMC virus. Fifty milliliters of
these suspensions were allowed to rapidly flow through each of the
columns. The results of the earlier bacteria experiments were replicated
in that there was no growth of either bacteria after passage through
columns containing either blueberry or "cranberry factors." The control
columns of PVP or cholestyramine alone showed no inhibition of the
bacteria.
The results of the viral inactivation are shown in Table 5. The experiment
was performed as before on a VEP assay. The only difference was that the
column approach resulted in a somewhat higher viral inactivation than in
the previous experiment. This indicates that rapid contact with the
insolubilized juice factors is sufficient to result in significant viral
inactivation.
TABLE 5
__________________________________________________________________________
Dilution .fwdarw.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11
12
Titer
__________________________________________________________________________
Control 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 5.6
Cranberry Choles.
4 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.6
Cranberry PVP
4 4 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Blueberry Choles.
4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.1
Blueberry PVP
4 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.1
__________________________________________________________________________
EXPERIMENT 4
An additional way of assessing bacterial growth is by tubidometry. The
light absorption or "optical density" of a solution is measured as an
indication of bacterial growth. As the number of bacteria increases the
amount of light absorbed or scatters also increases. In this experiment
heavy suspensions of the same bacteria used in Experiment 2 were prepared
in bacterial growth medium. Equal amounts of Cranberry-PVP or PVP
(control) was added to each tube. The tubes were then incubated at room
temperature for 24 hr. The original intent of the experiment was to
measure the optical absorbance of the tubes as an assay of bacterial
growth. However, all of the Cranberry tubes showed complete clearing
indicating that all of the bacteria had been killed. The control tubes
remained turbid indicating no bacterial kill.
There is some indication in the literature that a primary effect of
cranberry juice is due to its acidity which can be inhibitory to bacteria.
Tests made during production of the Cranberry-PVP indicate that a majority
of the organic acids present in the fruit remain in the supernatant and
are not captured by the PVP. Nevertheless, the Cranberry-PVP does have an
acidic pH; therefore, 0.5 g samples of the material were neutralized with
0.5M sodium bicarbonate. The neutralization treatment caused the extract
to turn very dark, almost black, from an original bright red color.
Significantly, the neutralized material was just as effective at clearing
the solutions indicating that pH is not a factor in the bactericidal
properties of the extract.
EXPERIMENT 5
A classic test of antimicrobial materials is the "zone of inhibition" which
develops around such materials when placed on a bacteria growth plate. In
this experiment agar plates were swabbed with suspensions of E. coli,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus, or Bacillus subtilis. Aliquots of
Cranberry-PVP (1.0 g, 0.5 g, 0.25 g, or 0.1 g) were placed on the plates
which were then incubated for 24 hr. In all cases at least an 8 cm
inhibition zone (measured from the edge of the Cranberry-PVP extract)
developed; the control PVP showed no inhibition. This indicates
significant inhibitory properties. Neutralizing the material with 0.5 m
sodium bicarbonate did not destroy the inhibitory properties.
EXPERIMENT 6
Finally, viral tests were repeated using varying amount of Cranberry-PVP.
The extract was mixed with 10 ml of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV),
different amounts of extract to each tube. After a 60 min incubation the
material were tested on a VEP assay as above. The results were: 1.0 g
extract gave a 5 log viral kill; 0.5 g gave a 5 log viral kill; 0.25 g
gave a 3 log viral kill; and 0.1 g gave a 2 log viral kill.
The antimicrobial juice factors of the current invention have a number of
uses. Both fruit juice and the binding agents used are considered safe for
human consumption or for human skin and mucosa contact. The antimicrobials
are especially useful in any treatments where bacterial growth is
advantageously controlled. Such uses are in wound management where the
material of the present invention can be inserted into bandages to prevent
bacterial growth. It can also be directly applied to the wounds as part of
a cleansing process. These novel antibacterials are also useful in
treating periodontal disease where they can be used in place of
antibiotics or traditional disinfectants such as peroxide. They can also
be used in sanitary napkins and tampons to prevent the dangerous growth of
Staphylococcus which results in Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Because the components of the instant invention are all of food grade and
safe for human consumption, the insoluble juice factors are ideal as food
coloring agents or as nutriceuticals. The components can be bound to a
suitable binding matrix such as PVP by a batch or single step removal
process. It is also possible to apply a second binding matrix to the
supernatant from the first binding to effect a "secondary capture" of
additional components. The components can be removed from juice or other
plant homogenate and/or can be obtained from various "waste streams" which
represent material normally discarded. Press cake (the material remaining
after juice is pressed from fruit) can be mixed with water and/or salt
solutions to release additional components that are normally discarded.
The coloring components can be released (eluted) from the PVP or other
binding matrix by changes in pH or ionic strength (e.g., buffers and salt
solutions).
Materials produced according to the present invention should have many
health benefits. They incorporate the beneficial properties of the
starting materials and also have beneficial cereal and laxative properties
due to the binding matrix and natural vegetable factors bound thereto. In
the case of cranberry factor it is likely that ingestion will confer many
of the known benefits of cranberry juice, e.g., prevention or treatment of
urinary infections. The antibacterial and antiviral properties may also
result in other systemic effects such as the control of undesirable
intestinal bacteria. Certainly, a much greater amount of the active
ingredients can be ingested as a concentrated solid than could
realistically be taken in as fruit juice. In fact, the current process is
able to take essentially all of the colored components from 100 pounds of
cranberry fruit and concentrate it on 10 pounds of cross-linked PVP. In
this process the majority of the fruit sugars and acids are discarded.
This represents a ten-fold concentration. It is anticipated that further
degrees of concentration can be attained.
An additional use of the material of the present invention is in food
preservation. Recently there have been a number of public health scares
from bacterial contamination of fruit juices and meat products such as
hamburger. When used as a food color, the material of the present
invention is effective in killing bacteria and preventing bacterial
growth. Although coloring materials per se are generally not used in
hamburger, the red coloring of the cranberry factor of the present
invention is certainly compatible with hamburger. Preliminary results have
indicated that mixing the cranberry factor into hamburger greatly retards
spoilage of the meet. Experiments are ongoing which show that the
cranberry factor can actually kill bacteria in hamburger. This is
surprising and exciting because disinfection in the presence of large
amounts of protein is usually very difficult or impossible.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary
skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present invention. The words used in this specification to describe the
invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the
sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special
definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the
scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be
understood in the context of this specification as including more than one
meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to
all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word
itself. The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims
are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the
combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent
structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function
in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result.
In addition to the equivalents of the claimed elements, obvious
substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are
defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. The claims are
thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and
described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously
substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of
the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various
adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment
can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention. The illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the
purposes of example and that should not be taken as limiting the
invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the
appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically
described herein.
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